'Games in the Garden City' kicks off. The three-day event features Ventura and Terzi.

Three days of sports, entertainment, and celebrity guests for a new major event coming to Cervia and Milano Marittima from Thursday to Saturday. The first edition of the Garden City Games, conceived and led by Simona Ventura and Giovanni Terzi, with the collaboration of former Italian Football Federation director Alberto Mambelli, will feature athletic challenges between teams of sports champions and celebrities, joined by local residents, known as "nips." In addition to the sports games, every evening from 9:00 p.m., surrounded by the lush greenery of the Primo Maggio roundabout (Milano Marittima), Ventura and Terzi will host interviews with prominent figures.

Thursday is the draw day for the two teams, one captained by Ventura and the other by Terzi, ready to battle it out in an atmosphere of celebration and healthy competition. At 9 pm in the Rotonda Primo Maggio, the first of three evenings will feature a talk show featuring Franco Nero, an icon of Italian cinema; Maurizia Cacciatori, a symbol of Italian women's volleyball; Annalisa Minetti, a singer and Paralympic athlete; RaiSport director Paolo Petrecca; and Dino Giarrusso, known for his investigations and political involvement.

The event begins on Friday at 3:00 PM on the Fantini Club beach (lungomare Deledda 182, Cervia; admission is free). The competitions will alternate between beach volleyball and padel. At 9:00 PM at the Primo Maggio roundabout, the couple's guests will be: journalist and writer Andrea Scanzi, Antonio Fantin, Paralympic swimming champion in Tokyo and Paris, tennis player Camila Giorgi, and Diego Armando Maradona Junior, the soccer player's son. Rossella Erra, commentator on "Ballando con le Stelle," Francesco Mazza, correspondent for "Striscia La Notizia," and journalist Santo Pirrotta will also be present. Giarrusso will also be present.

Saturday will see the Bocce match, which will take place at Bagno Dario from 11:00 a.m. (Traversa XVI Pineta, 315 Milano Marittima, free admission), and at 5:00 p.m., one of the most anticipated events: the Match of Legends, scheduled for free at the Stadio dei Pini in Milano Marittima. Two exceptional teams will face off on the pitch: Ventura's team, led by Arrigo Sacchi, and Terzi's team, coached by Alberto Zaccheroni. Paolo Dondarini, a former Serie A referee, will referee the match. Some of the most memorable names in football history will take to the field, including Sebastiano Rossi, Massimo Bonini, Massimo Agostini, Lorenzo Minotti and Ruggero Rizzitelli, Christian Maggio, Fabio Bazzani, and Diego Armando Maradona Junior.

Saturday evening, the event returns to the Primo Maggio square with interviews with Cristina Plevani, winner of L'Isola dei Famosi (The Island of the Famous), singer-songwriter Paolo Vallesi, showgirl Alessia Fabiani, and comedian Ubaldo Pantani. Closing the event in style are two 1980s music legends, Jo Squillo and Sandy Marton, and DJ Michelle Masullo. Ventura, Terzi, and guests will light up Saturday night with the huge Remember party at the Pineta in Milano Marittima, open to all (admission fee applies). The event is organized in collaboration with the Municipality and Apt Servizi Emilia-Romagna.